Editorial

If ‘Yellowstone’ Star Gil Birmingham’s Comments Don’t Get Kevin Costner Back To Set, Nothing Will

(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for HFA)

Kay Smythe News and Commentary Writer
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“Yellowstone” star Gil Birmingham had a lot to say at Sunday’s 2024 Critics Choice Awards about his co-star Kevin Costner.

Even if you’re not a fan of “Yellowstone,” you’ll probably recognize Birmingham from one of his many, many other roles in television and film, like “Wind River” and “Hell or High Water.” He portrays the role of Tribal Chairman Thomas Rainwater in co-creator Taylor Sheridan’s iconic series, working with Costner, the show’s lead, since episode one.

“Kevin is [an] extraordinary talent, he has been for his whole career and it’s not any different on our show,” Birmingham told Fox News on Sunday. “He’s a major leader, and we have such deep respect and appreciation for him.” Apparently, Costner is a “mentor to everyone on” the “Yellowstone” set. “His vast experience and just his amazing presence, how he portrays John Dutton. We all learn something every day with him,” Birmingham continued.

But it’s not just Costner who makes “Yellowstone” such an incredible job for Birmingham and the rest of the outstanding cast.

“We’ve just been watching it gather a fanbase exponentially season after season until we become the number one show on cable television,” Birmingham said. “And we couldn’t be more excited to have fans really connect to it and by word of mouth pass it on to so many of our loyal fans.”

Birmingham will be there for the second half of “Yellowstone” season five, which will conclude the series at some point in late 2024 through early 2025 (we hope). There’s been much drama between Costner and Sheridan, so I guess we’ll know more once they actually start shooting the final episodes. (RELATED: Joe Rogan And Taylor Sheridan Bro Out On How Big Archaeology Is Hiding Our History, And It Spells Doom)
It’s unclear whether Birmingham’s character will stay within the original show, or move on to the spin-off series “2024.” My hope is he stays. Sure, there are moments where Rainwater is a total antagonist to the Dutton family, but he should be. It’s his tribe’s land, after all.